Instagram story viewer> @justindaerr> Posts

Justin Daerr

@justindaerr

3.7K

followers

755

following

Coach & CMPC @all__ofit
Keep treading water.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Mental toughness isn't armor. It's not the ability to feel nothing when things get hard. It's something more specific — and more useful — than that.⁠
⁠
Justin Daerr finished over 40 Ironman triathlons as a professional, including a win at Ironman Boulder and 18 top-five finishes. He's thought harder about mental toughness than most, and his definition cuts right to the heart of it: mental toughness is the ability to encounter a situation you've never faced before — threatening, unfamiliar, without a clear roadmap — and trust that your skills and experience will carry you through anyway.⁠
⁠
The disruption still happens. The wave still hits. What changes is whether you let it be the end of the story.⁠
⁠
Justin's analogy? The Great British Bake Off's Technical Challenge, where skilled bakers are handed a recipe for something they've never been told to expect, with minimal instructions and no visuals. The ones who do best aren't the ones who somehow guessed what was coming. They're the ones who trust their hands, trust their knowledge, and get to work.⁠
⁠
Every time you navigate something unfamiliar — a new race distance, an event where you have no reference point, a training day that goes completely sideways — you're making a deposit into that account. And it pays out at mile 18, when your body is telling you a story you haven't heard before and you need to believe you can find a way through anyway.⁠
⁠
Listen or watch the full conversation with Justin at the 🔗 in our bio, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. by @justindaerr

35

4

4 months ago

@justindaerr wrote "complete an Ironman" on a high school bucket list, did his first one as a college sophomore, and didn't stop until he had 40-plus iron-distance finishes and a professional career behind him. He now coaches athletes through his company @all__ofit , races Otillo swim-run at the world championships level in Sweden, and has opinions about training culture that will make you rethink the environment you're training in — not just the plan you're following.⁠
⁠
This conversation covers a lot of ground, but I think Justin's approach to mental toughness is the biggest takeaway from this show. Mental toughness, Daerr says, has less to do with being unbreakable and more to do with what you do after something surprises you. He talks about training culture and why the athletes who last longest aren't necessarily the most talented — they're the ones whose environment makes the work feel accessible rather than a grind. ⁠
⁠
Oh, and we talk a LOT about @britishbakeoff⁠
⁠
Listen to or watch the full conversation with Justin at the 🔗 in our bio, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. by @justindaerr

64

6

4 months ago

Three years ago I was in New York visiting @mccormackwalter and it happened to be a week before the NY Marathon. Following my time in triathlon, I never thought I would run an open marathon, but there was something about NY that felt bigger than simply running a marathon. Anyway, long story short I found myself in NY on the start line three years later. I really enjoyed the experience of running through all five boroughs alongside 55,000+ other people from all parts of the world and it was something I will always remember. Also got treated to an early opening day from Eldora when I got back. by @justindaerr

213

11

2 years ago

Thanks to ten days in Tucson, we all need sweaters now when it’s under 80 degrees. Had fun helping folks get ready for Kona and other late season races. Been coming to Tucson for training camps for 17 years and it has always delivered in helping to move the fitness needle. Also, Hotel Tucson has been converted to apartments so you all have the opportunity to live there now (if you know, you know). by @justindaerr

150

14

2 years ago

A few weeks ago, @feelthebyrn pulled out an article from the Endurance Corner archives from 2010, titled “All Pros Lie.” After looking it over, the original article was left as is, but a second section was added with some additional thoughts. You can find the article through the link in bio where it is posted on Gordo’s Endurance Essentials Substack. by @justindaerr

30

1

2 years ago

Sending out a very Happy 12th Birthday to our legendary little buddy, Siggy. by @justindaerr

60

4

3 years ago

A good time in the mountains last weekend. by @justindaerr

44

9

3 years ago

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from Boulder. Here’s to a great 2024.

-Brooke, Lilly, Siggy and J by @justindaerr

145

4

3 years ago

Wishing a very happy first birthday to our kitty, Lilly! Every day is better with her in our lives. by @justindaerr

75

7

3 years ago

Thanks to a jet lagged early morning, I was able to write a recap of our day at the ÖTILLÖ World Championship. You can find the full recap through the link in bio.

#swimrun #otillo #ötillö #otilloworldchampionship by @justindaerr

81

3

3 years ago

Back in the summer of 2010, my friend, @feelthebyrn, and I were doing a lot of training together in his lead up to racing the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship with our friend @jonascolting. Jonas had already won the race several times and had been a part of the race since its inception. They went on to win the race that year and when Gordo got back, his feelings towards the race and the experience were palpable. Not simply because they won, but because you could tell that just tackling the challenge of the day had a deep meaning to him.

I was immersed in the world of triathlon at the time, but I knew that I was going to do this race one day when the time was right.

Fast forward 13 years and that day finally came yesterday. My longtime friend @larsfinanger and I teamed up yesterday to take on the ÖTILLÖ World Championship and it lived up to all that I had hoped for. I was challenged physically, mentally and emotionally in ways I had yet to experience before. One primary example of this was the ability to lean on my partner when I was having a dark moment. Yesterday’s race was rather pleasant for 6.5 hours and then for the final 2.5 hours, I had to really rely on Lars to get me to the finish line. As a long time solo athlete, I wasn’t accustomed to seeing how much deeper you can go when a trusted teammate is at your side.

Moreover, yesterday was made special as I got to share the finish line with @feelthebyrn and @jonascolting as they reunited 13 years later to finish ÖTILLÖ together once again.

#otillo #ötillö #otilloworldchampionship by @justindaerr

174

35

3 years ago

131

6

3 years ago